The present invention relates to cutting and peeling devices.
Peeling devices are used for removing a rind or peel from fruits and vegetable with as little loss as possible of the flesh of the fruit or vegetable. Classically, a paring knife is used for removing the rind or peel. It is well known that it is difficult to control the depth to which a paring knife cuts in removing a rind or peel. As a consequence, paring knives are less than ideal for this purpose.
A further type of peeling device employs a metal blade having a slot down its center. The inner edges of the slot are sharpened to produce a pair of cutting edges facing each other across the slot. The blade is customarily affixed in a handle in a manner permitting rotation of the blade about its longitudinal axis. The width of the slot, as well as a constraint on the rotation of the blade, limit the depth of cut which such a peeling device may execute. As a consequence, this type of peeling device sacrifices less of the flesh of the fruit or vegetable than does a paring knife in the hands of an average user. In addition, the geometry of the pair of cutting edges is such that the risk of cutting a user's hands is less than with a paring knife.
The present invention is especially directed toward a peeling device adapted for use with an electric appliance effective for reciprocating the peeling device along a longitudinal axis thereof. A knife blade may be employed in such a devce, but the problem of excessive cutting depth remains unchanged. A slotted peeling device of the type described above is unsuitable for use in a reciprocating environment.